The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some big-time hits with their early draft picks in recent years, but that is expected out of every single NFL team. What truly separates the best general managers from everyone else is their ability to find great players late in these drafts. General Manager Omar Khan has done great in this regard. In his first three years, he managed to nab high-end players at key positions like Nick Herbig and Mason McCormick. In 2025, he also managed to get nose tackle Yahya Black in the fifth round.
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Steelers' Nick Herbig working out in the 2026 offseason alongside Jack Sawyer.
While only one preseason game has been played in 2026 for the Steelers thus far, it looks like the "Khan Artist" got some more steals in Day 3 of the draft. Defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio was seen as a waste of a pick at first by some, especially with how well Kevin Jobity Jr. has looked during the offseason program, but that is clearly not the case now. Meanwhile, safety Robert Spears-Jennings already looks like he can hold his own in the defensive backfield.
Both of those draft picks have looked impressive and have stood out so far. While making an appearance on Steelers Collective, insider Ray Fittipaldo went into detail about Rubio and how well he's performed lately.
"With [Sebastian] Joseph-Day being out, this Rubio kid, he's a good run stuffer," Fittipaldo said. "I don't know 100% if he's going to make the team, but if I had to pick right now: [Gabriel] Rubio, [Esezi] Otomewo, or Dean Lowry, I might go with Rubio just because he's kind of showed up here in camp to me. He seems like he might be worth keeping around."
Even after being selected, Rubio was nothing more than an afterthought due to all the moves made to boost the defensive line earlier in the offseason. It seemed like he was on the outside looking in at a potential roster spot. Many people were questioning why the team drafted this player, who would have likely gone undrafted -- especially since he was not given an invite to the 2026 Scouting Combine.
Throughout the offseason program and the early part of training camp, there was barely a peep about him as Jobity was getting all the attention. However, Rubio got his chance to see more playing time with the aforementioned injury to Sebastian Joseph-Day, and he has taken full advantage of it. Now, it seems like he has the inside path to that final spot on the 53-man roster.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio (96) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Rubio stood out in the preseason opener as well, racking up six tackles on the day. He seems to be the run-stuffing beast that the Steelers have sorely missed since Stephon Tuitt suddenly retired. It's going to be very hard for Pittsburgh to justify cutting the former sixth-round pick, even when Joseph-Day gets healthy again. Even if he gets the final spot on the roster, it will be well worth it.
Steelers' Long-Time Weakness Is Now A Strength
In 2025, the Steelers spent a first-round pick on defensive tackle Derrick Harmon, who has done a great job of shutting down his gaps in the run game. They also drafted Black that year, as mentioned before. He is finally getting the reps at nose tackle that everyone thought he would when he got drafted, and he can hold his own in the A gaps. Joseph-Day is a very solid depth piece when healthy too.
For so many years, the Steelers have been unable to find quality, consistent run-stopping defensive linemen. They could get to the quarterback on a consistent basis, but they were routinely burned between the tackles as the linebackers had to do everything in that facet. Now, however, Pittsburgh has layers upon layers of quality run-stoppers, and Rubio is another name to add to that list.
What do you think about Rubio's performance so far? Do you think he is worth keeping around? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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